Alasdair Turner

Alasdair Turner

Alasdair Turner is a photographer, AMGA-certified rock guide, and mountaineer. Born in Scotland, Alasdair grew up in a family of farmers and engineers, and initially chose chemistry (University of Oregon) as his field before becoming a photographer. Most recently, Alasdair devoted his career to and found his home in Antarctica, engaging science as an ambassador to the natural world. His project documenting the McMurdo Sound Region of Antarctica is “intended to emotionally and scientifically engage citizens of every nation about why this place and the incredible science that is being conducted there matters. It will give life to and investigate the science of the region from the earliest expeditions to today’s ongoing research.”

Telling scientific stories through photography requires a different approach than many other types of visual storytelling. Science is based on experimental results and observations. Personal biases and scientific inaccuracies are minimized by the use of peer review. Photographers looking to tell the story of scientific research must strive to tell the science as accurately as possible while still presenting compelling images. Alasdair Turner will present examples from his current project on Antarctic science to illustrate how to raise awareness of important scientific work using photos that accurately represent scientific work while still keeping the viewer engaged through compelling imagery. alasdairturner.com

Presentation from the 2016 Blue Earth Alliance Collaborations for Cause conference in Seattle Washington at the Seattle Public Library. Learn more: www.blueearth.org